Skip to main content

NASA sets new date for first launchpad test of its mega moon rocket

NASA will have a third go at conducting a launchpad test of its next-generation moon rocket at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday, April 9.

This is despite the emergence of another technical issue that NASA is now working to resolve.

NASA's mega moon rocket on the launchpad at the Kennedy Space Center.
NASA’s next-generation “mega moon rocket” on the launchpad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA / NASA

Two previous attempts over the past week to begin the so-called “wet dress rehearsal” were called off due to the discovery of technical problems, the first one due to a fan issue linked to the rocket’s mobile launcher, and the second due to a stuck valve on ground equipment at the pad.

Recommended Videos

On Thursday, NASA reported the discovery of another issue, this time regarding helium purge pressure on the upper stage engine. After a troubleshooting process, engineers managed to establish a normal helium purge, but they’re continuing to investigate what caused the issue.

All being well, the two-day wet dress rehearsal will begin at the Kennedy Space Center on Saturday at 2:40 p.m. ET.

The exercise will involve NASA engineers filling the powerful Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with fuel before conducting a mock countdown.

If all goes to plan and no more technical issues appear, NASA will be able to prepare for the first launch of the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft, hopefully in the next couple of months.

The uncrewed Artemis I mission will send Orion on a fly-by of the moon in a comprehensive test of its spaceflight systems. Artemis II will fly the same route but with a crew on board, while the highly anticipated Artemis III mission, currently slated for no earlier than 2024, will put the first woman and first person of color on the lunar surface.

It looks like NASA needs to catch a break with the long-awaited launchpad test of its next-generation rocket. Alongside the technical issues of recent days, the date for the first test attempt also had to be rescheduled after four lightning strikes hit the launchpad’s lightning towers.

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
SpaceX is about to try something new with its mighty Starship rocket
The Starship launching from Starbase in October 2024.

SpaceX has just test fired a Super Heavy booster ahead of the Starship’s ninth flight test.

The ground-based firing of the world's most powerful rocket took place at SpaceX’s Starbase site in Boca Chica, Texas, on Thursday.

Read more
Watch this new European rocket lift off … then crash
Isar Aerospace launches its Spectrum rocket for the first time.

An effort by Isar Aerospace to become the first European commercial space company to launch an orbital rocket from continental Europe failed in spectacular fashion when the vehicle lost control and exploded soon after liftoff on Sunday.

The inaugural launch of the two-stage Spectrum rocket took place at the Andøya Spaceport in Norway at 12:30 p.m. local time.

Read more
NASA’s moon rocket meets its side boosters for crewed Artemis II voyage
NASA's SLS rocket for the Artemis II mission.

NASA’s much-anticipated Artemis II mission has experienced multiple delays in recent years, with the agency currently targeting no earlier than February 2026 for a flight that will send four astronauts on a voyage around the moon.

The Artemis II astronauts, as well as folks following the mission preparations, will be pleased to learn that NASA recently lifted the SLS rocket’s core stage into position, joining it to the two solid rocket boosters in essential work carried out inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center.

Read more